Content marketing is about giving potential customers different forms of media content that they want, in exchange for getting the opportunity to subtly market a brand, product, or service to them. Rather than creating advertisements or direct marketing materials, businesses create content such as blogs, whitepapers, downloadable guides, podcasts, infographics, videos, and even social media posts that provide educational and/or entertainment value. By offering free access to such valuable content, businesses get the chance to market to potential customers, while at the same time establishing themselves as experts and authorities in their field.

If the concept of content marketing is still new to you, here is a handy introduction to content marketing, including:

The fatal flaws of traditional advertising

An in-depth introduction to content marketing

The advantages that content marketing provides over traditional advertising

Tips on the best practices that will make your content marketing more effective

Today, October 20th, is National Day on Writing, which follows World Dictionary Day that just passed on October 16th. As one who not only loves to write, but also believes strongly in the power of words (and actually enjoys reading dictionaries), I wanted to take a moment to honor language by sharing some long-forgotten and cool words from Webster’s nineteenth-century dictionary.

Noah Webster, the great American lexicographer, published his first dictionary in 1806. However, in 1828, at the age of 70, Webster released his American Dictionary of the English Language. The workdefined 70,000 words – more than any dictionary in history – and nearly 17% of the words listed had never before been seen in a dictionary. Still today, Webster’s dictionary is recognized as the first comprehensive dictionary of American English, and one of the most important dictionaries in the history of the language.

Here are 26 interesting, unique, and obscure words from Webster’s 1828 Dictionary, an A to Z of new vocabulary:

AFTER-WISE (adj): the feeling of knowing exactly what one should have said or done, after the opportunity to do so has passed

BABBLEMENT (n): senseless prattle; unmeaning words

CYCOPEDE (n): a term for the entire circle of human knowledge

DAGGLED (adj): dipped or trailed in mud or foul water; befouled

ELENCH (n): a vicious or fallacious argument that is apt to deceive under the appearance of truth; a sophism

FOPDOODLE (n): one who is insignificant

GLOZE (n): flattery; adulation

HORRISONOUS (adj): sounding dreadfully; uttering a terrible sound

ILLAQUEATION (n): the act of ensnaring; something that has been caught or entrapped

JACKPUDDING (n): one who jokes around and acts foolish to make other people laugh

KEECH (n): a mass or lump

LONGINQUITY (n): remoteness or isolation; any vast distance in space or time

MAFFLE (v): to stammer or stumble on your words

NUNCUPATORY (adj): something that exists in name only; relating to a verbal rather than written agreement

OBEQUIATE (v): to ride around on a horse

PACKTHREAD (n): the strong string or twine used to wrap parcels

QUADRIN (n): any tiny amount of something; an insignificant amount of cash

RAKESHAME (n): a vile, dissolute wretch of a person

SHEEP-BITE (v): to practice petty thefts

TARDIGRADOUS (adj): slow-paced; moving or stepping slowly

UPTRAIN (v): to educate or train

VERNATE (v): to become young again

WRANGLESOME (adj): quarrelsome; contentious

XEROPHAGY (n): the eating of dried meats such as beef jerky

YOKE-MATE (n): an associate or companion

ZUFFOLO (n): a little flute or flageolet, especially one used to teach birds

If you’re interested in learning some more words and reading about Webster, check out the online version of Webster’s 1828 Dictionary. I’m going to challenge myself to start working these new words into my lexicon, and I challenge you to do the same!

Marketers who have prioritized blogging are 13 times more likely to enjoy a positive ROI (HubSpot).

If you (or your boss) have not yet begun to leverage the proven effectiveness of content marketing, and you want to learn more about how to do it well and on a budget, contact WordWise Creations now, and let me help you cash “in” on inbound marketing!

Inbound marketers double the average site conversion rate, from 6% to 12% total. (HubSpot)

These numbers paint a clear picture of power of content marketing. So, are you taking full advantage of the benefits that inbound and content marketing have to offer you and your bottom line? If not, contact a content marketing expert right away for more information on how to develop a strategy that works for you.

Outbound marketing is just that – out – and today’s “in” tool for business marketing is inbound marketing. Inbound marketingis the act of promoting a company through blogs, online newsletters, whitepapers, social media, and other forms of content marketing which serve to bring customers in my giving them something in exchange.

Still, it’s almost every day that I find myself trying to convince a potential client about the benefits of inbound marketing and content marketing. So, I compiled a few stats to share with them, and with you. Here are some facts you might not know about inbound marketing and the way consumers feel about it:

80% of business decision makers prefer to get information in a series of articles versus an advertisement. (Exact Target)

61% of consumers say they feel better about a company that delivers custom content and are also more likely to buy from that company. (Custom Content Council)

78% of consumers believe that organizations providing custom content are interested in building good relationships with them. (McMurry/TMG)

50% of consumer time online is spent engaging with custom content. (HubSpot)

These stats should be easy to believe, too, especially if you’ve spent time online reading a company’s blog or social media posts to gain new information or perspective on something. I know I have! If you and your business are not maximizing the power of inbound, content marketing for the best results, just contact me for more information on how I can help you do just that.

Blogging isn’t easy. In particular, for businesses using blogging as part of a content marketing strategy, it’s critical that blog content is interesting and makes people want to read, and perhaps share, the content. In addition, there are a myriad of variables that must be considered, such as length, relevance, which publishing platform(s) to use, and the best time to post.

But there are some other specific considerations that are essential for a successful business blogging campaign. These include:

Telling a story

Knowing your purpose

Targeting your known audience

Providing something of value

Tracking metrics to define success

Including visuals and images

Considering layout readability

Adding a Call to Action

Focusing on SEO

Setting a schedule

Matt Wesson of Salesforce expands upon each of these to provide businesses with useful guidance and some easy-to-apply tips for honing your blogging strategy for greater success. Read more…

We all know that social media posts and shares are part of content marketing, but have you really given thought to HOW you share content? It’s easy to just click the appropriate icon(s) and casually share posts, images, or videos with your followers, but will that make them want to re-share the content as you want them to do?

If you really want to drive the exponential outreach power of your content marketing efforts, you should personalize the accompanying text for shared content to ensure readers find it interesting and enticing enough to prompt them to share it with their own followers, as well as tailoring the text for each social media platform to more specifically target your audience with the right language and format (e.g., hash tags for Twitter posts).

Other best practices for sharing content include timing shares to meet the audience when they are most likely to be active on each platform; tagging influential players when possible; giving credit when it’s due; responding to every comment; and issuing a call to action in your shares to increase reader engagement and boost the marketing power of the content – and there are specific things that are important to keep in mind when enacting these practices. Read more…